1976–77 Vancouver Canucks season
| 1976–77 Vancouver Canucks | |
|---|---|
| Division | 4th Norris |
| Conference | 8th Campbell |
| 1976–77 record | 25–42–13 |
| Home record | 13–21–6 |
| Road record | 12–21–7 |
| Goals for | 235 |
| Goals against | 294 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Phil Maloney |
| Coach | Phil Maloney (9–23–3) Orland Kurtenbach (16–19–10) |
| Captain | Chris Oddleifson |
| Alternate captains |
Don Lever Dennis Kearns |
| Arena | Pacific Coliseum |
| Average attendance | 15,547 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Rick Blight (28) |
| Assists | Dennis Kearns (55) |
| Points | Rick Blight (68) |
| Penalties in minutes | Harold Snepsts (149) |
| Wins | Cesare Maniago (17) |
| Goals against average | Cesare Maniago (3.36) |
The 1976–77 Vancouver Canucks season was the team's seventh in the NHL. The Canucks failed to reach the playoffs. Phil Maloney, the teams general manager and head coach, was replaced mid-season as head coach by Orland Kurtenbach, the first captain of the Canucks.
The Canucks made a complete change in the goal department for the 1976–77 season. On August 23, disgruntled Gary Smith was traded to Minnesota for veteran Cesare Maniago. Born and raised in Trail, Maniago became the first home-grown British Columbian to be a Canucks regular. In September, Ken Lockett signed as a free-agent with San Diego of the World Hockey Association. The back-up job was inherited by Curt Ridley. Both goalies would see plenty of rubber. The retirement of Andre Boudrias meant that the captaincy was available and Chris Oddleifson filled the vacancy.
Sophomore right-winger Rick Blight scored four goals in a 9–5 loss in Pittsburgh on opening night and continued to lead the team in scoring throughout the season, finishing with 68 points. The loss was a sign of things to come, as the Canucks won only five of their first 24 games. After a 5–4 home loss to Montreal on December 20, Phil Maloney decided that he needed more time to concentrate on his General Manager duties and called up ex-Canuck captain Orland Kurtenbach from Tulsa of the Central League to coach the remainder of the season. He started off with a 3–2 win in Los Angeles before winning only one of his next eight.
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